Schools/housing info? (Annandale, Fairfax: middle-class, foreclosures, to rent)

[profesora]

Need info on the following high schools in Fairfax:

Marshall, Hayfield, Langley, and Annandale. Which ones are the best to work at and why? Am considering possible relocation to the area from the HR area and need info about these schools (teach Spanish). Also any info about housing would be helpful... I know there are lots of foreclosures in the area. Ideas on where to rent or possibly buy something "reasonable", safe, and in a decent area for a TH/condo 1100 sf or so? Thanks!

[novanative75]

Well, we will start with Langley, or as it is called in Nova, Laaaaaangley. It is one of the best, if not the best, high school in FCPS. Lots of white kids, not a lot of diversity, excellent academics and notoriously crazy and over-bearing parents.
Annandale you can pretty much say is the exact opposite but, depending on what you like and what is important to you, may be a great place to work.
Marshall is a little of both, kind of a happy medium, drawing a lot of kids because of the IB program, lots of haves and have-nots there.
Hayfield is an interesting population, you will see a lot of everything and more emphasis lately on the upper middle class as more families are moving farther and farther out.
Any school in FCPS is a great place to work, I would interview where you can, see where you get offers and know that working in FCPS is wonderful and I think you will be happy!

As far as where to live, I will let someone else handle that but there are a lot of options and with the market these days, you will get a great deal.

[claremarie]

Langley has a 17% Asian student population -- it's not just white kids. But there are virtually no middle-class or poor kids there. The biggest problem you would have there is finding an affordable place to live within a reasonable commuting distance.